No More Peace Among the Stars
by Wernher von Braun
Summary: The Time-Space Administrative Bureau was created as an inter-dimensional security force. Their task is to protect the worlds especially from the danger of magic and Lost Logia. But then, they are shown the truth of the galaxy; a place without peace, only an eternity of carnage and slaughter, and the laughter of thirsting gods.
1. End of Innocence

**End of Innocence**

 **Malrom (TSAB-administrated world #83)**

Malrom is a world that has small population if compared to most of the populated planet, not even reaching a billion. The majority of the people lived concentrated on several mega-cities, leaving most of the landmass in its natural state.

Despite that, the people of the planet are advanced enough to used magitek on a level that is noticeable by the Time-Space Administrative Bureau. Several years ago, the TSAB made contact with the local authority of Malrom and after several months of debates, conferences, and conversations, Malrom became one of the administrated world.

Due to its natural state, Malrom is often visited by people who wanted to explore the nature or having a nice vacation. It's also has a low crime rate.

To put it simply, Malrom can be considered a paradise.

But that is about to change…

* * *

At a park, a family of four is currently having a picnic among the rather large amount of people. The father and the mother are currently enjoying the scenery while both of their son and daughter are chasing a butterfly.

"You know, it's a good idea that you chose this planet as our vacation, dear." Said the mother to her husband.

"Well, you should say that to my friend Jack. He may have some…eccentricities. But at least he knows a good place to relax."

"Yeah, give him my thanks when we get back."

Both of them divert their attention to their children. They're still chasing the butterfly but suddenly stop when they look at the sky. Curious, they look at the sky as well and find out why their children seem to be awestruck.

The sky looks like as if it has a wound.

* * *

 **Several days later…**

 **TSAB Mid-Childan Main Office,** **Cranagan, Mid-Childa**

Inside a meeting room, members of the TSAB are gathering due to an event that never happen for a long time in the Bureau history; disappearance of a large number of population due to a raid by unknown party. The majority of the meeting will be led by the Three Admirals, connect from their office through a screen.

"Alright, everyone calm down please." Stated Admiral Midget Crowbel on the screen. "We're going to begin the meeting. Admiral Phils, would you?"

"Five standard days ago, we received a message from the authority of Malrom that two of their cities were ransacked. Inspection revealed that there is not even a single person alive left on the cities." Said Phils.

"Excuse me, Admiral. What do you mean by the last sentence?" Asked a navy personnel.

"When the body count was done, it was revealed that the bodies only represented a small percentage of the citizen on both cities. We can draw a conclusion that the rest were captured by the culprits for some unknown reason."

"How were the culprits managed to ransacked both cities?" Asked Enforcer Fate T. Harlaown.

"The cities on Malrom are not like the ones on Mid-Childa or other worlds. While there are at least thousands of cities on Mid-Childa alone, on Malrom they only slightly exceed a hundred. Furthermore, there were some maintenances on the communication service during the ransacking." Replied Crowbel.

"So, the culprits used both the nature of Malrom and the maintenance to concealed their attacks."

"Indeed, Enforcer Harlaown."

"Do we have any clue about the whereabouts of the culprits?" Asked Admiral Chrono Harlaown.

"That's why the meeting is being held, Admiral Harlaown. The culprits leave no trace whatsoever that indicates either their whereabouts or where they came from. Investigation also revealed that the chances are close to zero that the culprits used magic in their attacks." Said Crowbel.

This revelation sends a shock to almost everyone in the room. Magic has been used as a fundamental basis in the operation of almost everything in the TSAB space, including weaponry. The TSAB has put a ban on mass-based WMD and puts very heavy surveillance on mass-based firearms with some worlds even go as far as banned it altogether, like in Mid-Childa.

However, if the investigation said that magic is not used as a weapon during the attacks, that means the culprits were for some reason used mass-based weapons which will attract a lot of eyes in the TSAB.

"How do we know that they didn't use any magic?" Asked Captain Nanoha Takamachi.

"Most of the buildings remain mostly intact with only several damages, meaning that no heavy weapon was used. While this can mean many things, the major pointer is the result of the autopsy." Said Admiral Largo Kiel before showing a sour face which is soon shared by the other two admirals.

This…could not mean something good.

"According to the autopsy result, some of them died due to having their bodies torn asunder. Some were burned alive. Some were killed by poison…the similarity in almost all cases are that their deaths were an agonizing and painful one."

This almost caused several TSAB personnel to lose the content of their stomach.

"Seeing the reaction, it looks like our decision not to show all of you the photos of the victims are correct." Commented Phils.

"With that done, we're now going to start the discussion on…"

Before Crowbel can finish her words, the screen showing the Three Admirals is suddenly cut in half with the other one now showing a captain.

"Admirals, apologize for interrupting. I know there are procedures in sending a message to the high command, but this is emergency! Something that never happen in the history of the Bureau if I am not wrong!" Stated the admiral with a panic-filled voice.

"What's wrong, Captain Collins?" Asked Crowbel with a worried tone.

The TSAB personnel are well-known for following the procedures (one way or another). So, if someone from TSAB broke them, either he wants to betray the Bureau or something that's out of the box is happening.

"The worlds on Talon system – both the administrated and non – are…they're being invaded!"

Silence falls on the entire room. So silence that if someone drops a pin, the echo can be heard across the room. And the room is capable of holding several dozens of people. The people inside finally break the silence.

"WHAAAT?!"

* * *

 **Several hours ago…**

 **Runesta (TSAB-administrated world #70)**

Saying that the situation on Runesta is quite bad is like saying that the sun is rather warm. Currently, several non-TSAB ships are orbiting the planet.

Thought calling the amount of the ships "Several" is also an understatement since there are at least hundreds if not thousands of ships.

In his office, Admiral Karl Felix – responsible for the security of the Talon system – is anxiously waiting for the ships in the orbit for creating a contact with them. They had tried to contact the ships, asking their intention. But so far, they only received silence as the answer. Either their communication method is not compatible or the ships deliberately avoid making any contact.

None of them are good things in Admiral Felix's mind.

Suddenly, one of his staff enters his room to deliver and important news.

"Admiral, the ships finally make a contact with us. We're waiting for your order." Stated the staff.

" _Finally!_ " Thought Admiral Felix. "Get everyone to the communication room and wait for my next order!"

"Yes, sir!"

The staff immediately do as he ordered with the admiral goes directly to the communication room.

* * *

 **Several minutes later…**

After waiting, the representatives both military and civilians are now in the communication room. While they usually do this kind of "first contact communication" in a more appropriate room, Admiral Felix feels that something is not right and getting to the room will waste valuable time.

Time for what he's still unsure.

"Admiral, on your mark." Stated the communication staff.

Admiral Felix gives the signal and the staff opens the communication between him and anyone on board the ships.

"[COMMS] This is Admiral Karl Felix of the Time-Space Administrative Bureau. You are currently inside our space zone. Please state your intention so that we can avoid something we will regret!"

After several seconds, there is a sound of someone speaking in gibberish. Slowly thought, the people in the room start to understand what is being said.

"[COMMS] Greetings, Admiral Karl Felix. I am Por'O Tash'var Har'vash of the Tau Empire. I am here to deliver the message given by the Ethereal to all of you. We asked you to join us and served alongside us for the Greater Good…or be terminated where do you stand."

* * *

 **And the prologue is done.**

 **If you have question or suggestion, feel free to tell me.**

 **Review please.**


	2. Real Alien Invasion

**Real Alien Invasion**

 **Runesta (TSAB-administrated world #70)**

Hell. That is the only word needed to describe the situation on Runesta. Actually, that can also be used to describe the entire situation on Talon system.

To start with, when this "Tau Empire" sent their message that can be summed up as "join us or die", Admiral Felix obviously declared that the TSAB will never join with a group that threaten people to join them. And even if the Tau Empire didn't use any threat, the TSAB will not join them because they are their own independence group.

Shortly after that, the connection between Runesta and the Tau ships are cut and all hell immediately broke loose.

The Tau ships started to orbital bombed the air defenses on the planet. After several hours of bombardment, the TSAB found out from their remaining sensors that the Tau were landing their ground forces.

One by one, the cities on Runesta fell to the hands of the Tau. Despite the valiant attempts of the TSAB mages and local defense forces, most of them aren't trained in warfare combat. There's also the fact that most of the mages' experiences came from fighting dangerous creatures, Lost Logia's constructs, and rogue mages.

Most, if not all of them, are not trained in fighting against plasma weapon-armed aliens, supported with automated drones, seeking missiles, tanks, gunships, and fighter planes. The only flying fighting vehicles that the TSAB has are the spaceships that were busy fighting (read: get massacred) the Tau spaceships, space shuttles that mostly unarmed, and helicopters with weaponry that can't even give a Tau gunship a proper fight. On the ground, their most heavily armed vehicle are the APCs and compared to the Tau's…calling it mediocre is very generous.

Suffice to say, everyone on the planet know that it is only a matter of time until Runesta fall, following other planets on Talon system that had either fell or immediately surrender.

With that in mind, the TSAB mages on Runesta are retreating towards Maillard, the capital city of Runesta. Unfortunately, not all civilians can be evacuated to Maillard, so some of them have to be abandoned to the hands of the Tau that hopefully won't mind taking care of the civilians.

It is only a matter of time.

* * *

 **Tau Encampment, Runesta**

Shas'O T'olku Wran'elo is currently looking at the recent intel acquired by the Pathfinders. Apparently, there are several artillery emplacements bombarding a tio've that act as the vanguard for the siege of the Gue'la capital city.

Now that he thinks about it, he's actually kind of surprised – along with other Tau and Gue'vesa – that there is actually another Gue'la interstellar government besides the Imperium.

Well, while their first contact with the Gue'la is not with the Imperium proper, the influence of the Imperium exist. Here, the Gue'la is completely independent from the Imperium of Man.

From what he observed, the "Time-Space Administrative Bureau" lacks any standing military; the Gue'la that they had fought act more like security or defense forces rather than a military.

Sure, there are signs that they have military elements. But it is also clear that they do not have some elements that the usual military possess (well, if compared to the Tau and the Imperium at least).

In turn it makes him wonders how they managed to survive. It's suicidal to exist without any standing military with the existence of Da Orks, the Eldars, the Necrons, and the Tyranids.

On the other hand, those things are currently not important and he should have focused more on taking out the artillery emplacements. From previous engagements, the Gue'la are capable of creating some sort of barrier that makes anything organic invisible. The barrier also act like a shield but luckily sufficient bombardment can break it.

The thing is, anything organic will be invisible until the barrier breaks. Which means that they can't confirm whether or not the artillery crew are KIA or simply hiding. Usually the destruction of the artilleries is enough, but these Gue'la have a pole-like weapons that are capable of doing bombardment. So, they need to eliminate all of the crew as well.

O'Wran'elo looks at the other way to see how his soldiers are doing. Most of them are currently resting while also checking their equipment, eating some rations, or just speaking to each other.

So far so good. The only things that prevent them from keep advancing are that they need to make sure that the logistic keep up with them and no one in the Tau military can performing activity forever.

* * *

 **Maillard, Runesta**

"[COMMS] This is Beta team! Where is my reinforcement, over? If we do not receive one in the next…"

"[COMMS] This is Long team! We have lost Point Camel! I repeat, we have lost…"

"[COMMS] This is the _Jigsaw_! We received too much damage! We're going…"

Admiral Felix wants to do nothing more than to close his ears and not listening to any report that they received.

He should have surrendered to the Tau! If he did that, they can avoid this bloodshed. Just what makes him didn't do that in the first place anyway?!

"Sir, Sir! We need order, sir!"

Admiral Felix realizes that he is monologuing and looks at the speaker, one of his staff. It is clear that he knows that the entire situation is hopeless, but there is still some determination left in his eyes.

"Order, sir?" Asked the staff again.

"What's the status of reinforcement from the HQ?" Asked Felix.

"One of our ship, the _Mower_ , managed to escaped from the system. But, considering the distance between Talon and the nearest naval base…"

Hearing that, Admiral Felix lowers his gaze. They can't win against the Tau, that's for sure.

Which leave them with only one option.

* * *

 **Point Zeta**

"Hold the line! Hold the line!" Shouted a mage before firing a spell towards the incoming Tau Fire Warriors.

The warriors take cover behind a large rock before returning fire. The mage raise a shield and takes cover behind a similar rock.

Point Zeta is a designation for one of the path that leads towards Maillard. The path is paved roads with high rock formations on both side of the roads; meaning that the only way to cross Point Zeta is through the barricades created by the TSAB; created from abandoned cars, large rocks, and other strong stuffs.

Normally, the Tau will simply bombard the barricade. However, the majority of the air force are busy with other tasks and the available one are either not enough or simply not suitable for the task.

There's also the fact that the mages can act as AA defenses.

Currently, the TSAB and the Tau have exchanged fire – spells and plasma – countless of times. The Tau however are slowly pushing back with the help of Hammerheads. Only several TSAB mages that have enough forces or the right spells to take out one of those floating tanks. And those mages are getting killed one by one.

One of the mage casts a shield to defend against an incoming plasma. His friend behind him fires a spell at the shooter, taking out the Tau. However, the Hammerhead opens fire directly at the mage with the shield, killing him and his friend behind him. Then, a spell hits the Hammerhead and it's strong enough to take the tank out of commission.

"Come on! We can do this!" Shouted the mage who takes out the Hammerhead.

Suddenly, she realizes that there is a red dot on the car besides her. When she looks around, she finds similar red dots scattered around the barricade. Before she can figure out the purpose of the dots, the answer comes from the sky.

"Missiles!"

Hearing that, the mages create shields; the ones on the front provide protection against the Tau plasma fires while the ones on the back provide protection against the incoming missiles.

When the missiles hit, the mages are trying to hold their shields. Several failed and get blown up alongside anything and anyone near them. Those who survived immediately takes cover before they're drowned by the Tau plasma.

Suddenly, the Tau stops firing. The mages are confused by this turn of event and is about to use the opportunity when the reason is revealed.

"[COMMS] Attention to all Time-Space Administrative Bureau personnel! This is Admiral Karl Felix! I order you to stand down! I repeat, I order you to stand down! Ceasefire have been made with the Tau Empire!"

When the mages look at the sky, they see that the sentences are being announced from one of the TSAB spaceship, surrounded by the Tau's. They're being repeated; "stand down" and "ceasefire have been made".

However, both the TSAB and the Tau realize the truth behind those sentences; the TSAB garrisons on Runesta are ordered to surrender.

The Tau Fire Warriors slowly approached the TSAB mages. Their weapons aimed at the mages in case they try something funny. The mages are looking around and – seeing there is no hope of winning – drop their devices before raising their hands.

With that, before any reinforcement can be send to support the TSAB garrisons at Talon system, the entire planetary system falls to the hand of the Tau Empire.

* * *

 **And this is done.**

 **If you have question or suggestion, feel free to tell me.**

 **Review please.**


	3. Old Team Return

**Old Team Return**

The news of the fall of Talon system to the hand of the Tau Empire spread like wildfire. A lot of administrated worlds – especially those "close" to the Talon system – are in massive panic.

Lost Logia that can destroy an entire planet is being found in some administrated world? Not exactly common but can be expected.

Dimensional criminal tries to cause a catastrophe or two with advanced science and magic? There are always bad apples in a tree.

Planetary invasion to take over said planet, done by non-human no less? Now that is something no one expect.

The TSAB HQ received dozens of messages from various worlds, asking for additional garrison on their planets. While TSAB stationed their personnel on the administrated worlds, most of them are only sufficient to hold peace and order; none of them are enough repel an alien invasion at the scale of the Tau's.

The TSAB replied the request by explaining that they lack the needed personnel and materials to reinforced all of the administrated worlds. They then explain that they will focused on the worlds close to the Talon system.

This actually cause some worlds to go even more frantic.

Some worlds decided to "remilitarized" their armed forces. While each administrated world possesses their own army, navy, and air force, they act more like defense force rather than armed forces since those worlds are planetary government-level and doesn't need mighty armed forces to guard their territory.

With the threat of Tau invasion, many worlds decided to make mass number of mass-based weapons, something that they only have in limited number due to have little use of them since joining the TSAB.

Then there are several worlds that suggest that they should try to create a mass-based WMD to fight the Tau, like nuclear weapon. They reason that since the Tau are very advanced in their non-magical science, to the point of matching if not surpassing TSAB magical science, they need to get the upper hand one way or another.

The suggestion is dropped faster than hot potato by the TSAB HQ since it violate the TSAB Mandates.

However, one thing that is certain, the TSAB need to do something – perhaps even something drastic – to prevent another world falls to the hand of the Tau Empire.

* * *

 **Long Arch, Mid-Childa**

In the old base of Lost Property Riot Force 6, two people of the former Force, Erio Mondial and Caro Ru Lushe, are walking inside. When they pass through the front door, they see their old teammates as well as the new ones.

"Subaru, Teana, long time no see!" Said Erio as he and Caro jogs towards them.

"Long time no see as well, Erio, Caro!" Replied Subaru as she smiles alongside everyone else.

When they join the group, Erio and Caro have a better look at their new teammates. They are none other than the Numbers adopted by the Nakajima; Cinque, Dieci, and Wendi.

As they walk towards the meeting room, they're spending sometimes having a conversation.

"So, how have you been doing in the Conservation Corps, Erio, Caro?" Asked Subaru.

"Everything is great. We encountered many animals and stopped poachers from hunting endangered animals." Explain Erio.

"Why would these poachers hunted endangered animals? I mean, endangered means that there are only few exist, right?" Asked Wendi.

"The more endangered an animal is, the more money you can get if you managed to sell it." Replied Cinque. "And don't even think of hunting one for quick money."

Everyone makes a little laugh.

"Say, Teana, did you got any problem during your duty?" Asked Caro.

"Well, except the Marriage Incident, not really." Replied Teana as she scratches her head a little and shows a small sad smile.

Subaru, Erio, and Caro flinch a little after hearing that. They remember that the culprit is someone Teana wished to befriend.

After walking for several minutes, they reach the meeting room and get inside. When they enter the room, they see that Nanoha, Fate, Hayate, Reinforce, Agito, and the Wolkenritter are already prepared for the meeting.

"It has been a long time, isn't it, everyone?" Said Nanoha from her seat.

"It is, Nanoha." Replied Subaru.

"Alright, everyone. I know all of us miss each other, but the faster we start the meeting, the better." Hayate's warm smile turns into serious stare. "This is something not to be trifled with."

The newcomers nod their heads and each of them take a seat.

"Good. Now we can start the meeting." Said Hayate.

Reinforce types something. After a few moments, a holographic screen appears to be seen by everyone in the room. The screen shows a planetary system.

"Just as you know, several days ago we received the news of the fall of the Talon system to the hand of the…group known as the Tau Empire." Stated Hayate.

The screen changes and shows several Tau warriors firing their pulse rifles.

"During our first contact with the Tau Empire, Admiral Karl Felix – believed to be taken prisoner by the Tau – spoke with P-Po…Por'O…T-Tash…" Hayate tries to pronounce the Tau's name but finds some difficulties in doing so. "…the Tau ambassador with the latter demanding the capitulation of the Talon system and for the people of the system to serve the Greater Good."

"Excuse me, but what do you mean by the Greater Good?" Asked Fate.

"We don't know. We were unable to acquire any intel about the Greater Good that the Tau refer to. We can conclude that it is not a greater good that we know of considering they invade the Talon system when Admiral Felix rejected that Tau's demands." Replied Hayate.

"With their demand rejected, the Tau Empire launched full-scale invasion on all of the planets. While we don't know how long the invasion occurred, it happened fast enough for us to be unable to send any reinforcement." Added Hayate.

"To be able to taking down an entire planetary system…just how advanced the Tau Empire is?" Asked Teana.

"We don't know for sure." The screen changes to show a lone Tau warrior firing his pulse rifle. "From what we got, their main weapon is this plasma rifle. Several concentrated shots can take down a magic shield. However, most of those shields were casted by mages with low ranks. So, we can only make a guess on how strong the plasma rifle is."

The screen changes to show a Tau Hammerhead.

"It can be confirmed that unless in desperate situation, it is not a wise thing to trying to defense against their tanks." Said Hayate.

"Wait, it doesn't have a track. Is it capable of floating?" Asked Cinque.

"That's right. Every witnesses' accounts and record we have about the Tau tanks show that they're capable of floating." Replied Reinforce.

The screen changes to show a Tau Sky Ray and a pair of Tau Barracuda.

"As you can see, the Tau possess a formidable air force. The gunship possesses what is estimated to be seeker missile while the…jet plane maybe? Anyway, it is equipped with seeker missile like the gunship and some sort of cannon that fired either plasma or ion." Said Hayate

"How strong are those aircrafts against our shields?" Asked Nanoha.

"There's no record about that unfortunately. Until we can calculate it, avoid their attack and don't brace against it." Replied Hayate.

"Hey, how did we have this information anyway? It's not complete, yes. But the fact that we have this kind of information." Stated Wendi.

"Before Admiral Felix gave the declaration of surrender, he managed to send one of the remaining TSAB ship pass through the Tau ships. Inside the ship is the information that the local TSAB garrison managed to acquire. Even then, several of the information are actually speculations." Replied Reinforce.

"So, what are we going to do?" Asked Cinque.

"The Strike Force 6 will be deployed to Nexus system, the closest planetary system to the Talon system. The system has been declared to possesses the highest risk of Tau invasion. Any other question?" Asked Hayate.

Seeing that no one answered the question, the meeting is done.

* * *

 **Several hours later…**

 **Grand Cathedral, Mid-Childa**

Nanoha, Fate, and Hayate enter Carim Gracia's office. Inside, there are already her and Chrono Harlaown.

"Admiral, we have arrived." Said Hayate as she, Nanoha, and Fate give a salute.

"Hayate, glad that you make it." Replied Chrono as the three women take a seat.

"Tell me about it. Who would have thought that the TSAB will deal with alien invasion? Thanks to that, these past few days have been filled with mess."

"Well, I can bet that you have it easier than the Ferret Boy."

"What's wrong with Yuuno?" Asked Nanoha.

"As you can guess, we never meet this Tau Empire, so the higher-ups demand the Infinite Library to find any book that at the very least give a clue about them. To say that he has to work 24/7 is almost an understatement."

Nanoha and Fate let out a sympathetic laugh when they hear that. Maybe they should buy Yuuno something after the entire fiasco is done.

"So, how is the condition with the Strike Force 6?" Asked Chrono.

"Everything is almost like when I led the Riot Force 6. But I heard that we won't be assigned any limiters?" Replied Hayate curious.

"The reason for the almost recreation of the Riot Force 6 is because the force shows its effectiveness during the JS Incident. As for the limiters, we decided to give our best shot the next time we face the Tau Empire."

"I see. But the JS Incident is not an alien invasion." Stated Fate.

"It's the closest thing we have." Said Chrono. "Anyway, Carim has something that she wants to share."

Carim nods and stand up. The curtains close the windows, making the room darker. Carim the uses her skill, Prophetinschriften. After she's done, she sends two cards to Nanoha and Fate, each receiving one.

"For the past several years, several of the prophecies that I made are…disconcerting to say the least. This is one of them." Explained Carim.

Nanoha and Fate read the prophecy and realize the cause of the disconcertion.

 _To be a man is to be one amongst untold billions_

 _To survive is to live in the cruelest and bloodiest of all regime_

 _Technology and science forgotten_

 _Never to be re-learned_

 _Reason and hope fall_

 _Fear and hate and ignorance triumph_

 _A hundred thousand worlds_

 _Ten hundred thousand wars_

 _The greatest tragedy of all tragedies_

 _When evil is the only hope_

"This is…really disconcerting as you say, Carim." Said Nanoha.

"What about other prophecies?" Asked Fate.

"They're currently being deciphered. The point is, what happen in the future will be…bleak." Replied Carim.

"Yeah, especially the last part; 'When evil is the only hope'. This one…perhaps just a mistranslation?" Said Nanoha worried.

"We don't know. There's a lot of way to decipher the poem. This is not the only one, but believed to be the most correct."

"A hundred thousand worlds, ten hundred thousand wars. That can't be us, right? We only have hundreds of worlds." Said Fate.

"Yes. That's why we believed that the prophecy is either describing the Tau Empire…or something even worse." Said Chrono grimly.

Nanoha shows a worried face. "The cruelest and bloodiest of all regime" is not something she wants to imaginable. Earth alone has its own share of cruel regimes. To be the cruelest and bloodiest regime…calling it a bad thing is a massive understatement.

But one thing is clear that whatever happen, she – alongside her friends – will do their best to ensure that everyone they care will have a bright future awaiting them.

* * *

 **This chapter is complete.**

 **Can you guess what the prophecy refers to?**

 **If you have question or suggestion, feel free to tell me.**

 **Review please.**


	4. Squad Reunion

**Squad Reunion**

 **Ndargha (TSAB-administrated world #101)**

Ndargha was one of the richest planet in the TSAB space. It was rich in terms of its soil fertility. One can plant a seed and, provided getting enough water, it will grow very healthy. With the high-quality plants, the Ndarghan are more than capable of making a prosperous farm. Their water region was full of edible live forms. Due to this, the planet can grow food not only for its inhabitant, but also for several planets'. Most of the settlements on Ndargha were villages and port towns. The rare places that aren't fertile are where the big cities are.

Unfortunately, Ndargha was located on Nexus System, which was predicted by the TSAB to be the next place to get hit by the Tau Empire. With that, the TSAB send all available ships and as many high-rank mages as they can. However, they also need to make sure that other places aren't defenseless.

Right now, the TSAB forces on Nexus System can only hope that their efforts are enough to repel any Tau attack.

* * *

 **Mbarci, Ndargha**

The city of Mbarci was currently being changed into a fortress. Gun emplacements were being build, trenches were being dug, and the volunteers were being trained in usage of either devices or mass weapons.

"Wow, talk about militarization." Commented Subaru as she walked through the street.

"I am surprised that they can setup the defense this fast." Stated Caro.

"According to their history, Ndargha had supplied food for the Belkan military during the Ancient Belkan and Saint King Reunification War. This makes them quite important and thus have been trained to be able to make as many defense structures as they can. After they joined the TSAB, it has become some sort of cultural ritual. Now, looks like they're glad they do not throw it away." Explained Teana.

"Speaking of which, what's the plan when the Tau invaded?" Asked Erio.

"Well, Fate said that Admiral John Johnson will lead the ships that we have to act as the first line-of-defense. However, considering the numbers of Tau ships that involved in the Invasion of Runesta and the numbers of ships that we have, Admiral Johnson might be forced to fall back less his fleet suffers total losses." Said Teana.

"Well, that makes sense. The Bureau ships, while most of them are based on the Belkan designs, are both less armed and armored. They're created for patrols and fight something like piracy after all, not alien invasion. But, isn't that the Bureau possessed several old Belkan warships from its early time?" Said Erio.

"Indeed. But most of them have been scrapped and rearming the remaining takes time; time that we currently don't have."

Hearing the conversation between Teana and Erio, Subaru tried to find something that can diverted their attention from the impending danger. At least it could calm them down.

"Hey, guys, look. An ice cream shop!" Exclaimed Subaru as she pointed at said shop.

"You really like ice cream, do you, Subaru?" Said Teana with a small smile. "I swear, it will be your last meal before your death."

"Eck, that's pretty black, Tea."

"You won't believe what you will learn when dealing with criminals."

Nevertheless, the four of them approached the ice cream shop.

* * *

 **Strike Force 6 HQ**

Nanoha, Fate, Hayate, the Wolkenritter, and the Nakajima Numbers were watching the aerial footage of a battle between the Tau warriors and the TSAB mages. The color of the beams being exchanged was what help them distinguished between the Tau and the Bureau; the side that solely fired blue beams were Tau warriors while the side that fired many colors, including blue, were the Bureau mages.

"Lucino, can you zoom-in on this area?" Asked Hayate as she pointed at said area.

"Yes, Ma'am."

Lucino zoomed-in on said area. At closer look, it could be seen that the Bureau mages were surrounded by drones armed with plasma weapons. The drones pinned the mages down as the Tau warriors slowly advanced towards the TSAB's defense line.

"This is going to be a problem. While attack drones are part of the mage's training, it's clear that the Tau drones are more sophisticated than the training drones." Said Hayate.

"But aren't the drones not stronger than the ones used during the training?" Asked Nanoha.

"Yes, the drones aren't too strong considering that." Hayate pointed at the scene when a mage destroyed one of Tau drone. "However, the drones in the training are mostly stationary when they fired their weapons. Remember Subaru and Teana's Rank B test?"

"I see."

The scene then showed several Tau fighter planes strafed the mages, clearing most of the field for the Tau warriors.

"Dieci, can you shoot down those planes?" Asked Hayate.

"Eh? Well, I guess I can, provided that the plane flies towards or from my direction instead of left or right. But, that won't be effective for clearing the sky." Replied Dieci.

"I know. But the Bureau doesn't have its own fighter planes. They have mostly been replaced by flying mages due to the latter smaller size and yet packing more firepower. That means we need to use as many anti-air attacks as we can."

"Can you shoot them down like during the JS Incident?" Asked Fate.

"I can, but it will require several kilometers of the sky surrounding me uncompromised. There's also the fact that they're piloted by…Tau people and will immediately scattered at the sight of beam approaching them."

"What about the flying mages like Nanoha and Fate?" Asked Cinque.

"That's the thing. There's little, if any, record about flying mage fighting against fighter plane. We're pretty much entering that field blindly." Said Hayate.

"Don't worry, Hayate. Taking care of the fighters is not something that Fate and I can't do." Said Nanoha confidently with Fate nodding in agreement.

"Damn it, Nanoha. This is different than the JS Incident. The Gadget Drones barely care about their survival and can be quite suicidal while it's obvious that the Tau aren't. Besides, you do know that the pilots are likely to get killed if you destroy their planes, right?" Asked Hayate.

Nanoha became stiff when she heard that. Truth to be told, the amount of people that she killed, whether it was intentional or not, was basically zero. Even in the best-case scenario, this will be the first time Nanoha shed the blood of sentient being.

The Numbers had no problem killing if necessary. Cinque even did that when she was with Jail. While Hayate never killed someone directly, the Wolkenritter sometimes killed their opponents, with the clone of Zest Grangeitz being one of the latest. It was unknown whether or not Fate ever killed someone during her job as Enforcer, but considering the dangers of the jobs, it won't be surprising if she had.

What worried Hayate the most was that the type of the jobs that Nanoha, Subaru, Erio, and Caro took made them quite unsuitable in a job where the usage of lethal forces might be almost mandatory. Putting the Tau warriors' unconscious during the battle would put a big risk on the Bureau side since it would be hard to predict when they would regain consciousness. Then there was the fact that arresting all of them would diverted the necessary manpower, room, and supplies.

This was one of the reasons why the TSAB tried their best to not have war; the calculations and methods needed to win a war sometimes makes it necessary to throw away morality.

As Hayate diverted her attention back to Nanoha, she could see the cold sweat being made on her forehead and that her friend was gulping. It was clear that the decision she was about to made was not something light.

"I…don't like having people die. When I managed to gain these powers, when I know what it capable of, I thought I can save everyone. If not, at least most of them. But my family once told me, 'One sword keeps another in the sheath. Sometimes the threat of violence alone is a deterrent. Sometimes by taking a life, others can be preserved. It's the code the Samurai lived by'. You and I are not Samurai, Hayate. But we are descendant of ones, either figuratively or literally. Perhaps both. The point is, what is necessary, is not always something good or comfortable." Stated Nanoha.

Hearing that, Hayate felt more comfortable in her heart. She knew that Nanoha won't like what she's about to do, but she knew that Nanoha could be counted to be able to do it.

"Hey, Nanoha. If you still have problem with it, just stick close to us. It's something we dealt with during most of our lives." Said Vita.

"Thanks, Vita. But I will be fine. I guess."

"I don't think you will. Most people who takes live for the first time tend to froze on spot, making them vulnerable. I won't be surprised if That Thing will have the same reaction." Said Signum.

"Will you ever stop calling Nanoha that?" Asked Fate with a small laugh.

* * *

 **Ice Cream Shop**

Inside the shop, the former Forwards of Riot Force 6 were enjoying their ice cream. Especially Subaru who had eaten more than two bowls.

"You know, sometimes I envy you, Subaru. You can eat as many foods as you can and don't get fat." Commented Teana who took a scoop of her ice cream.

"It's not that good actually. It also makes the sufficient amount of food needed to make sure that I am not hungry higher than normal person. Combined with Gin-nee, Cin-nee, Dieci, Wendi, and Nove, without additional support from the Bureau, we would bankrupt our dad several times in just a quarter of year." Replied Subaru with a little bit of blush.

"That sounds rather hard." Said Caro with a little laugh.

"Speaking of which, you seem to only grow slightly taller since the last time we saw you, Caro." Said Subaru.

"Mou. It's because I am from Alzus. The distance between it and the sun makes the world cold even during the spring. Due to that, most people from there tend to be shorter than the people from warmer planets like Mid-Childa." Explained Caro while pouting.

The conversation between the former Forwards went smoothly as they talk about what each other have been doing ever since the JS Incident and the Mariage Incident.

"Say Teana, did you handle any interesting case ever since the Mariage?" Asked Erio.

"Not really. Though strange cases started to occurred more and more often. Many of them unsolved." Replied Teana.

"What do you mean by strange, Tea?" Asked Subaru.

"Well, there were sighting of unknown ships who then disappear before the Navy can board even one of them. Judging from the fact that they received no reply when tried to communicate, it's highly likely that those ships are abandoned."

"Couldn't it be that the ships' crews simply do not communicate using the same language?" Suggested Caro.

"No. From what I read, there wasn't any voice from the ships. Not even the sound of people operating it. Then there are cases of magic side-effects."

"What do you mean?" Asked Erio.

"Several mages that are stationed on frontier worlds tend to complain about headache each time they used their powers. Some of them also complain that the air didn't feel right each time they used their powers as well. However, it's most likely due to the fact that they're newbies since when we asked the veterans and Aces stationed on those worlds, they admitted to feel nothing wrong."

"Well, I heard that using magic for the first time can be quite…wonky, even for those who are used to live among the mages."

"Yeah. But the percentage of it happening on frontier worlds seem to be higher if compared to the inner worlds."

Their conversation was stalled when Subaru started to order _another_ bowl of ice cream. They didn't have that much money.

* * *

 **Strike Force 6 HQ**

Inside a training room, Cinque was checking on her Stinger throwing knives. She briefly diverted her attention to Dieci, who was checking on her Enormous Cannon. It has been quite a long time since she used her equipment for sniping with the exception of the Mariages during the incident of the same name. The facts that she required permission each time she wanted to use the Cannon and most of those times were used to extinguished flames might degenerate her accuracy.

Not an exactly good thing with the coming problems.

"Need help with that, Dieci?" Asked Cinque.

"No, thank you. I think I can handle it." Replied Dieci as she looked at a part of her Cannon.

On the other side of the room, Nove was making some modification on Jet Edge. She tried one of them and feeling dissatisfied with it, modified it again. After several attempts, she finally got the right modification and settings.

"You know, I am surprised with how we feel."

Cinque, Dieci, and Nove looked at Wendi who spoke those words.

"When people go to battle, usually they will feel kind of anxious and afraid." Added Wendi.

"I agree with that. But this is not the first battle the Bureau have ever faced." Said Nove.

"Yes, but the battle usually revolved around several powerful individuals like the Doctor and us. Fighting against an entire invading fleet, correct me if I am wrong, but I am pretty sure the TSAB never faced that kind of thing, right?"

"Maybe if you look back during the early years. And by early, I mean even earlier than the official founding." Replied Cinque. "Anyway, what's the point that you're trying to say?"

"It's the fact that while I do feel anxious about the coming battle, I also feel a sense of…homely. As if it's where I belong, where I should be." Explained Wendi.

"Well, it makes sense. No matter what kind of lives that we had ever since the Incident, we're still born as Combat Cyborg. Being a weapon is natural to us. We will never forget our origins." Said Nove.

"You do realize that Subaru will slap the back of your head if she heard you're saying that, remember?" Said Dieci.

"Eh, I don't exactly care about that. After all, there is a reason why we're called _Combat_ Cyborg in the first place."

The Numbers continued their conversation, something that they realized might be their last. Quite bleak, but unfortunately held some truth.

* * *

 **At night…**

Hayate was working on the paperwork with the help from Reinforce when someone entered her office. When Rein and her looked at the person who entered, they saw Nanoha was approaching the chair in front of Hayate's desk. What stood out was the fact that Nanoha held an ice pack on her cheek.

"I take it the break-up didn't end well?" Asked Hayate as if it was usual.

"It was. But then I guess I said something that made Fate mad." Replied Nanoha as she took a seat.

Hayate silently took out a note and a pencil. When she opened it, she flipped the pages until she found the desired one. On it, Hayate made a table with words like "Yuuno Scrya", "Fate Testarossa", and "Break Up". On Yuuno's part, there were three pencil scratches with Fate's having only two. Hayate then scratch a mark on Fate's part, making it three.

"That makes Yuuno and Fate equal." Commented Reinforce. "Seriously Nanoha, is it that hard for you to remain faithful to either one of them?"

"I never cheated if that is what you mean!" Exclaimed Nanoha.

"Your body is. Your heart though…" Said Hayate.

Nanoha pressed the ice pack a little bit stronger as her mood went even downward.

"I just can't help it. Yuuno and Fate are two of my best friends that makes me want to be more than that with them. They're similar but at the same time different. It's just, I have a feeling that if I fully dedicated myself with one of them, I need to throw away one of them." Explained Nanoha.

"So, you tried to make sure you're close to both of them. Thing is, your boyfriend or girlfriend felt that you cheat on them." Said Hayate as she let out a sigh.

Considering that Nanoha only found out about both of their feelings to her when they confessed to her, Hayate guessed that she couldn't gave Nanoha full blame on that. She was surprisingly…naïve and insensitive if the relationship became more serious than friendship. Thinking about it further, she realized that Nanoha never dealt with something like jealousy.

Hayate wanted to suggest Nanoha to just have a relationship with both Yuuno and Fate at the same time. Unfortunately, Yuuno and Fate only looked at each other as a close friend and nothing more than that. Well, maybe siblings, but that's not the point.

While she didn't know whether Yuuno and Fate will be open to the idea, Nanoha will definitely not. She won't be comfortable with the fact that both of her loves are devoting their entire hearts for her while she only devoted half for each of them.

Then there were still more problems needed to be solved. Really, Nanoha's love live won't be a successful soap opera not because it's not good materials, but because the story will be too complicated like a roller coaster and might edge into impossibility. Truth can be stranger than fiction after all.

"I am not giving you a permission to drink if that is what you're trying to ask. We need to stay vigilance." Said Hayate.

"Maybe…just a glass? Not even full?" Pleaded Nanoha.

"No."

* * *

 **Several days later…**

 **Nexus System**

Captain Nadeer was quietly looking at the stars on the horizon. Though that was inaccurate since space doesn't have a horizon. The point was, she basically has nothing to do except waiting for the incoming Tau invasion fleet, which the TSAB had no idea when it will come.

"What the status of the other ships?" Asked Nadeer with a bored tone.

"Same like two hours ago, Captain. Though we should have received another report from _Ganymede_ , _Langobard_ , and _Samhain_ in…"

Suddenly, the staff that Nadeer asked immediately put a serious look and started to fiddled with his keyboard. Seeing that, Nadeer lost her boringness and put more attention to said staff.

"The patrolling ships are about to return, Ma'am. But we can only detect two of them and they're faster than usual."

Few moments after he said that, two TSAB ships appeared hundreds of miles in front of Nadeer's and other TSAB ships. One of them looked badly damaged.

On the bridge, crew zoomed-in on both ships to have a closer look.

"Those are _Langobard_ and _Samhain_. But where's…Dear Kaiser!" Exclaimed Nadeer.

As if on cue, several Tau ships appeared behind _Langobard_ and _Samhain_. They fired upon the damaged _Samhain_ and destroyed it. _Langobard_ fired back as the Tau ships diverted their attentions to it.

"[COMMS] This is _Langobard_. The Tau have arrived! I repeat, the Tau…"

Before the Captain can finished the words, one of the Tau battleship fired its ion cannon and, while not destroying _Langobard_ , heavily damaged the area around the bridge section.

"What are you waiting for?! Warned Admiral Johnson and the rest of the fleet! The Tau have arrived!" Shouted Nadeer.

Before she could even finish her shouting, her staffs already went to their posts and did their respective roles.

Few minutes later, most of the Bureau ships were ready to face the invading Tau fleet. It was clear that Tau ships were more armed and armored than the Bureau ships. However, that didn't mean the TSAB were going to just runaway and let the Tau have their merry way.

If they want to take people's home, then they better be ready to pay the price.

* * *

 **Answer to a review:**

 **Chapter Master Kronus Thessius:** Well, the TSAB will received a visit from three Inquisitors, each from Ordo Malleus, Ordo Hereticus, and Ordo Xeno. Malleus in case Warp-based problem appearing, Hereticus to investigate the mages, and Xeno since they're dealing with the Tau.

* * *

 **And I finally managed to handle the writer's block.**

 **It's quite obvious, so I am going to say it: The Bureau will meet the Imperium.**

 **What kind of culture clash do you think will happen between the Time-Space Administrative Bureau and the Imperium of Man? Really, I am open for suggestion. The more the better ;)**

 **If you have question or suggestion, feel free to tell me.**

 **Review please.**


	5. Onward to Crusade

**Onward to Crusade**

 _ **Destiny Ahead**_ **, Ultima Segmentum**

Inside one of the many offices in the Imperial ship, Commissar Seikou Stern was reading the many reports that she received when her regiment was assigned to participate in the crusade. The entire crusade could be traced back to few months ago.

For her at least. Time was not something you can count on to be correct considering the Warp travelling.

Anyway, few months ago, something completely unexpected happened; the light of the Astronomican enlarged and a large area of the Eastern Fringe was no longer dark. This mean that exploring the Fringe was possible.

With this development, the High Lords of Terra sanctioned a meeting to discuss what the Imperium should do. After several meetings adjourned and guidance from the Emperor, the High Lords declared the Fringe Crusade.

There were two clear objectives of the Fringe Crusade. The first objective was to reunited the isolated human colonies from the Dark Age of Technology into the Imperium of Man. The second objective was to purged any xeno civilization that they will find.

There were many other objectives, but it was possible that most of them no longer sound anything like what the High Lords said due to the infamous bureaucracy of the Administratum. Then there was the fact that the two clear objectives were rather flexible; if the human colonies have been too corrupted by either the Ruinous Power or xeno, then Exterminatus must be sanctioned on those worlds. If the xeno civilization either willing to be ruled by the Imperium or useful like the Jokaero, then they will be spared.

Though it was because the resource needed to destroy a civilization could be used for more useful thing.

With the declaration of the Crusade, the High Lords assembled massive fleets of the Imperial Navy, Space Marine, and Adeptus Mechanicus.

For the ground personnel, there were various regiments from the Astra Militarum, Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes, Sisters of the Adepta Sororitas, Skitarii of the Adeptus Mechanicus, the Cult Mechanicus Battle Congregations, Titans of the Collegia Titanica, and Knights of the Questor Imperialis.

There were also various Inquisitors from Ordo Malleus to investigate the possibility of Chaos existence, Ordo Hereticus to prevent treason during the Crusade and also combating mutants and witches that they might find on the Eastern Fringe worlds, and Ordo Xenos to countering the threat of xenos since the Eastern Fringe was known to be full of xeno civilizations.

Then there were the missionaries from the Missionarius Galaxia. Their job was to, obviously, spreading the word of the Imperial Creed. While it might take centuries or even millennia before the new worlds accepted the Creed, considering how atheistic Mankind was during the Dark Age of Technology or fanatical in preserving their false religions, if there's one thing that the Missionary never short of is patience. For them, a planet that fully accepted the Imperial Creed after half a millennium was considered a good achievement.

Stern put down a file that she had read and pick up the next one.

Despite the size of the Crusade fleets, the sheer size of the Eastern Fringe makes the size of each task forces relatively small. The force that she will be part of was one of the example.

Commissar Stern was the Regimental Commissar of the Cadian 501st. Her regiment will fight alongside other Cadian Shock Trooper and Cadian Armored regiments. Other Imperial Guard regiments in the force were the Valhallan Ice Warriors, the Catachan Jungle Fighters, the Elysian Drop Troops, and Attilan Rough Riders.

She already heard complain from her men since both Catachans and Attilans were notorious for their bad smell. They worried that the smell might distracted them during combat and cost them both their lives and victory, which was actually quite logical. However, there was nothing she could do about it.

The Imperial Guards however were actually auxiliary forces. The true fighting forces were the Adeptus Astartes, more known as the Space Marines. The Space Marine Chapters that the Imperial Guards will help were the Salamanders, the Blood Angels, the Blood Ravens, the White Scars, and the Lamenters.

Obviously, the task force didn't possess the entire Space Marine Chapters. Except the Lamenters and possibly the Blood Ravens. The former had less than 300 Marines and nobody was sure on how many marines that the Blood Ravens had. The only thing they knew was that the Blood Ravens in the task force were led by Chapter Master Gabriel Angelos.

It was probably thanks to the Administratum that the true size of the Blood Ravens was unknown.

Speaking of Space Marines, she overheard a conversation between two Salamanders Space Marines when she passed them several weeks ago.

Or is it months? It's very hard to know precise timing thanks to the Warp travelling.

Anyway, they were complaining that the Marines Malevolent and Flesh Eaters will participate in the Fringe Crusade. The fact that those two Chapters will participate make Stern really want to execute whoever allowed them for incompetence. One of the objective of the Crusade was to reunited the lost human colonies with the Imperium of Man. It was obvious that you mustn't introduced them to the Chapter that was full of either people that couldn't care about what happened to common people or insane lunatics craving for blood and flesh. Those two Chapters gave the Imperium as a whole a bad image.

Fortunately, they were far away from the task force that she got assigned to. Still, she prayed to the Emperor that the Marines Malevolent and Flesh Easters were only assigned on a xeno world.

Moving on, there were three inquisitors assigned to the task force alongside their entourages. One from Ordo Malleus, one from Ordo Hereticus, and one from Ordo Xeno. Stern let out a sigh of relief when she read that the inquisitors were the Twilight sisters. She once tasked to assist Nicoletta Twilight of Ordo Xeno. She never met the other Twilights, but from Nicoletta she knew that despite being from different Ordos and philosophies, they were rather close and thus would more likely did their jobs rather than fighting each other like other inquisitors.

That didn't mean they wouldn't have an infighting though. It was inevitable between two or more inquisitors. It was just that there was a guarantee that the infighting wouldn't be as…volatile as the usual inquisitors infighting.

Then there were the Adeptus Mechanicus personnel assigned to the task force. They were split into two; the combatants and the supports. The combatants consisted of Skitarii, cybernetica datasmith and their robots of Legio Cybernetica, electro-priests, and combat servitors led by Magos Flavius Justinian. The supports consisted of enginseers, rune priests, transmechanics, and lexmechanics led by Magos Narses.

The reason for the existence of two Magi was because their expertise difference; Flavius Justinian was Magos Dominus while Narses was Magos Explorator. There was also the fact that the Mechanicus didn't want to give too much power on a single Magos, especially Dominus.

Though considering the size of the task force, Stern wondered if it was another clerical error that is so prevalent in the Imperium. At least as far as she knew, they haven't lost a single world this month.

Anyway, the Adeptus Mechanicus forces were given three objectives; to support the Crusading Imperial task forces with their expertise, established new forge worlds on suitable worlds, and purged any techno-heresy that they will find.

One of the possible threats that the Mechanicus, and in turn the Crusading forces as the whole, might face was the Abominable Intelligence, also known as AI. It was well known that Mankind extensively used AI during the Dark Age of Technology and it was the AI that plunged Mankind into a bloody era known as the Age of Strife.

Since the human colonies that they will encounter came from the Dark Age of Technology and never encounter the Imperium before, it was possible that they still use AI, just like what was founded on several human worlds during the Great Crusade. Sure, many worlds regressed back into barbarity during the Age of Strife, but several worlds managed to survive while retaining a level of technology enough to be classed as Civilized World.

Another possible threat was that the human worlds on the Eastern Fringe might treat their technology without paying attention to the machine spirits. They might treat it like the Tau or Orks, though it was debatable for the latter case since it was possible that Orks knew about machine spirits and simply abused them to submission.

Before Stern could finished dealing with other papers, she heard a knock on her office's door. She stood up and pick up her hat and bolt pistol before opening the door. When she opened it, she was one of the Cadian trooper of her regiment.

"Something wrong, guardsman?" Asked Stern.

"C-Commissar, t-there's a p-potential riot i-in the mess h-hall." Replied the guardsman, who was out of breath.

Hearing that, Stern immediately went towards the mess hall with the guardsman following after taking several breaths. On her way to the mess hall, she was surprised that she didn't encounter other commissars. Something was not right.

When she entered the mess hall, Stern saw that the guardsmen from various regiments seem to be in panic of sort. From how they look, it seemed that the guardsman mistook something else for a riot.

"Guardsmen, attention!" Shouted Stern.

Almost the entire room stop moving and stood up straight. The exceptions were the Catachan Jungle Fighters, who looked at Stern and the other guardsmen, and then decided to play along. With the panic ceased, Stern looked at several guardsmen who seemed busy with something else on the floor. When she approached them to have a better look, her eyes became wide and what she saw.

"By the Emperor, she's pregnant?!"

True what she said, there was a guardswoman with a big belly. Seeing her pained look and the fact that she was holding her belly, Stern knew what's about to happen.

"For Emperor's sake, what are you waiting for?!" Exclaimed Stern as she grabbed the guardswoman's feet. "Carry her to the infirmary!"

Hearing that, one of the Cadian trooper grabbed the upper part of the guardswoman through her armpits and, alongside Stern, carried the pregnant woman towards the infirmary with the other guardsmen moved aside to give a clear way.

* * *

 _ **Omnis Arcanum**_

Inside the fortress-monastery of the Blood Ravens, Chapter Master Gabriel Angelos was sitting in a chair, appeared to be sleeping. Though it would be more correct to call his chair a throne. There was also the fact that Angelos didn't sleep, merely resting as he was fully aware of his surroundings.

Over the past centuries, situations had been hard for the Chapter Master. Sure, he was still loyal to both the Emperor and the Imperium and ready to fight an eternal war for them, but that didn't mean he never had a thought of wanting to sit down and mediate a bit.

His father's betrayal, the extermination of Cyrene, betrayal of Isador Akios, accidentally releasing a daemon, the extermination of Rahe's Paradise, and then the various battles and defeating a Bloodthrister on Acheron.

Lesser men would fall down and cried at fate for giving them such a live. Angelos was not lesser man. But he was still a man.

After the battles on Acheron, before they can fully recover, the Blood Ravens were summoned by the High Lords of Terra to participate in the Fringe Crusade. The Blood Ravens agreed to participate. One of the reasons was the possibility of acquiring new recruitment world after the destructions of several of theirs.

Though there were some frictions between the Blood Ravens and other Space Marine Chapters. Why, he heard several of them saying something along the line of "Blood Ravens? Lock the reliquary". He didn't understand how the Blood Ravens created such a reputation. Sure, his Chapter possessed a lot of non-Blood Ravens' equipment. But they borrowed them, not steal!

Unfortunately, the only way to proofed it involved the Administratum. And since everyone knew the reputation of the Administratum, it was very likely that everyone who remembered the "stealing" would be dead the moment the Administratum found the evidence.

However, the "victimized" Chapters believed that the evidence never exist. The Blood Ravens simply used the infamous reputation of the Administratum so that they didn't need to create an alibi or something like that. Alas (for them), that reason had a shade of truth.

One way or another, the friction was there.

Angelos stood up and walked towards the nearest window. From there, he could see the various ships of the Imperial Navy and the Adeptus Mechanicus, carrying the men of the Imperium to the Fringe Crusade.

One couldn't help but be awed at the sight; thousands of golden ships with ornate architecture, the pinnacle of Mankind's beauty and architectural prowess. On board of those ships were the men of the Imperium of Man, each of them having different prowess and supporting each other's weakness. Every individuals ready to sacrificed themselves for the greater whole.

"Such is the thought of Gabriel Angelos. Chapter Master of the Blood Ravens. Savior of Tartarus. Bane of the Black Legion. Servant of the Emperor."

Angelos walked away from the window as _Omnis Arcanum_ and other Imperial ships moving onwards to the Eastern Fringe of the Milky Way.

* * *

 **Answers to some reviews:**

 **Kimek:** The Bureau is pretty much in a tight place; they haven't done the rearmament of their military but couldn't just abandon the worlds that are about to be invaded. The TSAB was formed as a union of several worlds. They have to protect those worlds if they don't want to face the possibility of world seceding from the Bureau.

 **Anonymous:** It's...more complicated than that. Seriously, it might be complicated enough to make a full chapter.

 **Nuggetmanu2:** Don't worry. Since the TSAB haven't received the light of the Emperor during the Great Crusade, the Imperium will be rather tolerant about them. Though since this is the Imperium of Man, the Bureau might not see it as tolerant.

Anyway, the Imperium is more than ready to support the TSAB provided the latter give the former 10% of its income 😉

 **edboy4926:** The story takes place before events. _Gathering Storm_. So, at the least, it happens before the 13th Black Crusade.

 **Guest:** As you can see, there are more than just the Inquisition and the Astra Militarum. There are also Adeptus Astartes, Adeptus Mechanicus, and Adepta Sororitas to name a few.

Don't worry, there will also be development of the Imperium characters.

Other factions? Well, there will be characters from the Tau Empire, Dark Eldars, Craftworld Eldars, Tyranids, Orks, and Chaos. You know, factions you encounter in both _Dawn of War_ and _Ciaphas Cain_ novels.

* * *

 **And the chapter is done. This is just an early introduction of the Imperium characters. Expect more about them.**

 **If you have question or suggestion, feel free to tell me.**

 **Review please!**


End file.
